Elevator and a method

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator having a hoistway, an elevator car movable in the hoistway and provided with a car brake, and a first coupling means movably mounted on the car, and a second coupling means mounted separate from the car at proximity of an end of the hoistway, the first and second coupling means being counterparts for each other and provided for being coupled in force-transmitting manner to each other, the car brake being triggerable by movement of the first coupling means. One of the first and second coupling means has coupling points at different vertical levels, and in the other of said first and second coupling means can couple to said one of the first and second coupling means at each of said coupling points. The invention also relates to a method for forming a safety space in the elevator.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An elevator comprising:
 a hoistway; 
 an elevator car configured to move in the hoistway, the elevator car including a car brake; and 
 a first coupler on the elevator car such that the first coupler is configured to one of move with the elevator car and relative to the elevator car based on a coupling state, the first coupler including a plurality of coupling members spaced a distance apart at different vertical levels; and 
 a second coupler on a stationary structure at proximity of a bottom of the hoistway, the second coupler being selectively activated to couple in a force-transmitting manner with one of the plurality of coupling members when in the coupling state to trigger the car brake such that each of the plurality of coupling members is configured to couple with the second coupler to trigger the car brake based on a relative position between the first coupler and the second coupler when the elevator car moves in a downward direction towards the bottom of the hoistway. 
 
     
     
       2. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein
 the second coupler includes a coupling member, and 
 the plurality of coupling members of the first coupler form a plurality of coupling points with the coupling member. 
 
     
     
       3. The elevator of  claim 2 , wherein the first coupler and the second coupler are configured to couple to each other by moving the plurality of first coupling members of the first coupler and the coupling member of the second coupler into contact. 
     
     
       4. The elevator of  claim 2 , wherein the car brake is configured to trigger based on movement of the first coupler, the first coupler movably coupled to the elevator car, the first coupler being coupled with the second coupler, and the plurality of first coupling members engaging with the coupling member. 
     
     
       5. The elevator of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of first coupling members are configured to laterally move to and away from a position when on a collision course with the coupling member. 
     
     
       6. The elevator of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality first coupling members and the coupling member are laterally movable by pivoting around an axis parallel to a vertically elongated plate and a car wall. 
     
     
       7. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein
 a free and laterally open space is at an end-side of each of the plurality of coupling members, and 
 the second coupler includes a coupling member, the coupling member is configured to laterally move within the free and laterally open space. 
 
     
     
       8. The elevator of  claim 7 , wherein the free and laterally open space is successively located vertically between the plurality of coupling members. 
     
     
       9. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupling members include at least 3, 5, 8, or 10 coupling members at the different vertical levels. 
     
     
       10. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupling members are distributed over a vertical length of more than 1 meters. 
     
     
       11. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coupling members are at  15  different vertical levels and include a lowermost coupling member and an uppermost coupling member. 
     
     
       12. The elevator of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of coupling members at different vertical levels include a vertically elongated structure, the vertically elongated structure including a vertically elongated plate having a plurality of edges, the plurality of edges corresponding to a plurality of coupling points. 
     
     
       13. The elevator of  claim 12 , wherein the vertically elongated plate is parallel with a wall of the elevator car. 
     
     
       14. The elevator of  claim 1 , wherein the stationary structure includes a guide rail. 
     
     
       15. A method for forming a safety space between an elevator car and a bottom of an elevator hoistway via a first coupler and a second coupler, the first coupler on the elevator car such that the first coupler is configured to one of move with the elevator car and relative to the elevator car based on a coupling state, the first coupler including a plurality of coupling members spaced a distance apart at different vertical levels, the method comprising:
 selectively activating the second coupler to set the second coupler to the coupling state; and 
 coupling one of the plurality of coupling members of the first coupler and the second coupler in a force-transmitting manner to trigger the car brake such that each of the plurality of coupling members is configured to couple with the second coupler based on a relative position between the first coupler and the second coupler when the elevator car moves in a downward towards the bottom of the hoistway. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the coupling of the first coupler and the second coupler creates the safety space between the elevator car and the bottom of the elevator hoistway. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the selectively activating includes setting the first coupler and the second coupler on a collision course with each other. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , wherein
 the second coupler includes a coupling member, and 
 the coupling includes coupling one of the plurality of coupling members to the coupling member.